Package-inserting device for packing-machines.



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PACKAGE INSERTING DEVICE FOR PACKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION EILED on. 24, 1911.

1,287,357. Patented Dec. 10; 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. LEARY, OF RICHMOND HILL, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC PACKING & LABELING COMPANY, OF DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, A CORPORATION OF NORTH CAROLINA.

PACKAGE-INSERTING DEVICE FOR PACKING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 24, 1917. Serial No. 198,218.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. LEARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond Hill, county of Queens, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Package-Inserting Devices for Packing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in package inserting devices for packing machines, and it has for its main object the production of a simple, durable and inexpensive device of this character ,in which a package container is held in position to receive the package delivered to it through a spout, with the median line of the container in alinement with that of the spout. With this and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions, combinations and parts which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts, Figure 1 is a plan view of a. device constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 1; Fi 4 is a detail plan of one of the spring package guides used in the structure of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view, upon an enlarged scale, of one of the spacing blocks used in the same structure.

In carrying the invention into effect, there is provided a hollow spout having spring package guides through which a ackage may be pushed to insert it in a suita' le con-- tainer, and means associated therewith and positioned to engage the exterior of a package container telescoped on said guides and thereby support said container with its median line in alinement with that of the spout. so that the container is held on the line of movement of a package; and as the package is pushed through the spout into the container, it cannot push the container off its support until the package is fully inserted therein. In the best constructions, the container supporting means is arranged to engage the under side of a container, preferably at a point just beyond its middle; the supporting means and the spout have a base in common and both have a sidewise traveling movement; and the spout comprises thebase before referred to and forming the bottom of the spout, a pair of blocks spaced apart and mounted on said base and forming the sides of the spout, a covering plate forming the top of the spout, and a pair of spring package guides one of which is clamped between the blocks and base, and the other between the blocks and covering plate. All of the above mentioned parts may be varied widely in construction without departing from the scope of the claims. The particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same, and the invention therefore is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

Referring'to the drawings, 6 is a chain link provided with transverse holes 77 at its opposite ends. By means of suitable connections of a well known character engaging these holes, the link 6 may be connected with other links to form a complete chain adapted to support and forward pack ages. The body of the link 6 serves as a base for a spout through which a package may be pushed, or in which a package may be held during a forwarding movement of the chain. or both. This base also forms the bottom of the spout bore marked 8. Spaced apart and mounted upon this base are two blocks 9 and 10. The main body of the block 9 is provided with a concave surface 11 forming one of the side walls of the spout. Similarly, the main body of the block 10 is provided with a concave surface 12 forming the opposite side wall of the spout. Surmounting the blocks 9 and 10 is a right angular covering plate formed of a horizontal section 13 and a vertical section 14. the latter resting against one end of each block. The vertical Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

section is provided with an elongated aperture slightly smaller than the bore 8 of the spout but corresponding therewith in contour; and this aperture is beveled at 15 to provide a guiding mouth for a package to be pushed through the spout.

Mounted upon the link or base 6 and extending across the bore 8 under the blocks 9 and 10, is an upwardly curved spring package guide 16. Mounted over the blocks 9 and 10 and extending across the bore 8 under the covering plate, is a co-acting downwardly curved spring package guide 17. The block 9 is provided with two holes 18, and the block 10 is provided with two similar holes; The spring package guide 17 is provided with four holes 19, two on either side, and the spring package guide 16 is similarly provided with holes. The guides are clamped in position by means of screws 20 passing through the horizontal section 13 of the covering plate and through the holes just referred to, and are threaded into the base or link 6. The vertical section 14 of the covering plate is held to the side of the base or link 6 by means of screws 21.

The blocks 9 and 10 project beyond the covering plate 13 and their extreme ends are respectively beveled at 22 and 23, the purpose of this beveling being to guide laterally into position for receiving a package pushed through the spout. acan or other package container indicated by the broken line 24 in Fig. 1. The container is guided vertically into position by the guides 16 and 17 over which it is telescoped, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

If no means other than the guides just described were provided for positioning the container, it would droop from a horizonta position and its median line would not be in alinement with that of the spout 8; and when a package was pushed through the bore 8 between the spring guides 16 and 17 it would first strike one wall of the container and be likely to push the container oii" its support before the package was fully inserted therein. To avoid this, the present device is provided with a shelf 25 extending laterally from the base or link 6 to a point just beyond the middle of a container telescoped on the guides 16 and 17, and has a slightly upturned outer edge marked 26 to engage the under side of the container and support it with its median line in accurate alinement with that of the spout with which it is in register. Supported in this manner, the container cannot sag from its proper position with respect to the bore of the spout; and as a package is pushed through the spout into the container, it will not touch said container until it reaches its closed end and is fuliv inserted therein. Further movement of the package will of course push the container with its package off the spring guides 16 and 17 and beyond contact with the upturned edge of the shelf.

1 It is to be understood that the base common to the spout and the container supporting means is not necessarily a chain link and is not necessarily movable. When, how

ever, the base is a chain link, the device may be used not only as a package inserting device, but as a package transporting or forwarding device whether or not it is telescoped within a container.

In view of the foregoing, a detailed description of the operation of the device is deemed unnecessary and is therefore omitted in the interest of brevity.

Vhat is. claimed is:

1. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a hollow spout, of means supported by the spout and positioned to engage the exterior of a package container telescoped on said spout at apoint beyond the middle of said container and thereby support said container with its median line in alinement with that of the spout.

2. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a 1101 low spout, of means'supported by and projecting from the spout to engage a package container telescoped on said spout at a point beyond the middle of said container and thereby support said container with its medianline in alinement with that of the spout.

3. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a hollow spout, of means supported by and projecting from the spout to engage the under side of a package container telescoped on said spout at a point beyond the middle of said container and thereby support. said container with its median line in alinement with that of the spout.

4-. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a hollow spout, of a shelf supported by and pro jecting from the spout to engage the under side of a package container telescoped on said spout at a point beyond the middle of said container and thereby support said container with its median line in alinement with that of the spout.

In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a traveling hollow spout, of means traveling with said spout and positioned to engage the exterior of a package container telescoped on said spout at a point beyond the middle of said container and thereby support said container with its median line in alinement with that of the spout.

6. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a side:

wise traveling hollow spout, of means supported by and traveling with said spout and positioned to engage the exterior of a package container telescoped on said spout at a point beyond the middle of said container and thereby support said container with its median line in alinement with that of the spout.

7. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a hollow spout, of means associated therewith and positioned to engage the exterior of a package container telescoped on said spout at a point beyond the middle of said container and thereby support said container with its median line in alinement with that of the spout, said spout and said means having a base in common formed by a forwarding chain link.

8. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a forwarding chain link, of a shelf -extending laterally from one side of said link to a point beyond the middle of a package container forwarded by said link and there engaging said container to support the same.

9. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a forwarding chain link, of a rigid shelf extending laterally from one side of said link to a point beyond the middle of a package container forwarded by said link and there engage said container to support the same.

10. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a forwarding chain link, of a rigid shelf extending laterally from, one side of said link to a point beyond the middle of a package container forwarded by said link and there having a slightly upturned edge engaging said container to support the same.

11. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a forwarding chain link forming the bottom of a spout, of a pair of blocks spaced apart and mounted on said link and forming the sides of said spout, a covering plate forming the top of said spout, a spring package guide clamped between the link and blocks and projecting beyond the same, and a co-acting spring package guide clamped between the covering plate and the blocks.

12. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a base forming the bottom of a spout, of a pair of blocks spaced apart and mounted on said base and forming the sides of said spout, a covering plate forming the top of said spout, a spring package guide clamped between the base and blocks and projecting beyond the same, and a co-acting spring package guide clamped between the covering plate and the blocks.

13. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a base forming the bottom of a spout, of a pair of blocks spaced apart and mounted on said base and forming the sides of said spout, a covering plate forming the top of said spout, an upwardly curved spring package guide clamped between the base and blocks and projecting beyond the same, and a co acting downwardly curved spring package guide clamped between the covering plate and the blocks.

14. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with 91 base forming the bottom of a spout, of a pair of blocks spaced apart and mounted on said base and forming the sides of said spout, a right angular covering plate one part of which forms the top of said spout and the other having an aperture forming the entrance to said spout, an upwardly curved spring package guide clamped between the base and blocks and projecting beyond the same, and a co-acting downwardly curved'spring package guide clamped between the covering plate and the blocks.

15. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a base forming the bottom of a spout, of a pair of blocks spaced apart and mounted on said base and forming the sides of said spout, a covering plate forming the top of said spout, a spring package guide clamped between thebase and blocks and projecting beyond the same, and a co-acting spring package guide clamped between the covering plate and the blocks, said blocks having projecting beveled ends co-acting with the spring guides to guide a package container into position to receive a package passing through said spout.

16. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a base forming the bottom of a; spout, of a pair of blocks spaced apart and mounted on said base and forming the sides of said spout, a covering, plate forming the top of said spout, a spring package guide clamped between the base and blocks and projecting beyond the same, a co-acting spring package guide clamped between the covering plate and the blocks, and a shelf extending laterally from one side of said base to a point beyond the middle of a package container telescoped on said package guides and there engaging said container to support the same with its median line in alinement with that of the spout.

17. In a package inserting device for packing machines, the combination with a base forming the bottom of a spout, of a pair of blocks spaced apart and mounted on said base and forming the sides of said spout, a right angular covering plate one part of which forms the top of said spout and the other having an aperture forming the entrance to said spout, an upwardly curved spring package guide clamped between the base and blocks and projecting beyond the same, a co-acting downwardly curved spring package guide clamped between the covering plate and the blocks, and a rigid shelf extending laterally from one side of said base to a point beyond the middle of a package container telescoped on said 10 same with its median line in alinement with that of the spout.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 15 name to this specification.

JAMES W. LEARY. 

